After this chapter, this story will no longer be considered to be under heavy revision since these chapters were already posted, but the others hadn't been. Thank you all for staying with this story, it truly means so much to me. There is also an A/N towards the end as well, I refuse to spoil anything for new readers to this story.
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11
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Yuki gave a quiet sigh as she opened the front door. Her expression became pleasantly surprised when she saw John and Masako standing there. John gave a relieved smile before waving at Yuki while Masako studied the house with the sleeve of her kimono held against her mouth in thought. She narrowed her eyes at something, and Yuki understood her worry.
"Hello, John, Hara-San," Yuki greeted, opening the door further.
"It seems that not much keeps you down," John commented as he walked in.
"Of course not," Yuki agreed, before turning towards Masako, "Hara-San are you going to be okay?"
"This is terrible, I've never seen a haunted house this intense," Masako commented, slumping a bit.
Yuki placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, an understanding expression on her face. Masako brought a hand up to hold onto Yuki's bicep. She was feeling a little dizzy with the number of spirits surrounding them. She seemingly listened to something and spared a look towards the albino. She could tell that the taller girl seemed a little out of sorts.
"Let's head over to the base," Yuki said, her usual soft tone comforting, "everyone else is already there."
Masako nodded and Yuki began to lead her to the base. Yuki liked her kimono, it was navy with pink cherry blossoms on it, the obi a bright pink with a gold rope as decoration. Masako kept a hold on Yuki as they walked through the house, the taller girl being a source of comfort. She wasn't used to being such a thing but found that it was quite nice. She shouldn't be anyone's comfort; she'd let them down. She was quite sure of that.
"Are you still feeling sick?" Yuki quietly asked as they walked into the base.
"Masako?" Ayako asked, she frowned in worry as she noticed how pale Masako was, "What's wrong?"
Naru looked up from his notebook and his eyes met Masako's. Yuki felt as though she was imagining things, but he seemed annoyed by her. She blinked when Masako left her side to run to him. She couldn't believe that the other girl was so forward. Takigawa noticed her expression and grinned at the sight. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly opened, showing her shock and slight bafflement.
"Hara-San?" Naru questioned, looking at the girl that was holding onto his arms.
"The thing that is wrong with this house is that it is worse than a cemetery," Masako stated, and everyone tensed up, "it feels like a nest for evil spirits. This house is attracting spirits and they're all the spirits of children, the spirits are all over the house and are suffering from pain crying that they just want to go back to their mothers."
Masako staggered back into Yuki's arms and the albino caught her with a confused expression. Naru noted that she held a sympathetic expression, she understood how the children's spirits felt. She wanted her mother too, even if she never admitted it. She shook such thoughts from her mind. They had gone after an innocent little girl; she couldn't forgive that.
"Hara-San are you all right?" Yuki quietly asked, noticing how pale the medium was getting.
John looked up from where he was petting Bones, the dog enjoying his ministrations, and frowned in worry. He motioned towards the seat next to him and Yuki had the medium sit down. She was staring at the other teen's legs and then at her neck. The place where all the recent bruises had formed. The turtleneck covered up her neck and arms, but the legs were easily seen due to the dress. She didn't look embarrassed by the bruises; no she couldn't be embarrassed by something that hadn't truly been her fault. Yuki rubbed at her forearms as John got up from the couch and headed out to help Ayami. Yuki sat down where he had vacated, and Bones instantly climbed into her lap. Masako got a lap full of dog as well, and Ayako was glad she hadn't sat down on the same couch. Takigawa and Naru left the room, leaving the girls with Lin.
"Does your neck hurt?" Masako asked Yuki.
"A little bit, but I know it'll get worse before feeling better," Yuki answered.
"The children who were forced to grab you are sorry," Masako informed her before bringing her sleeve up to her mouth, "but I can tell that you aren't angry at them…why?"
"It wasn't really their fault," Yuki said, "they were just doing what they were told to…I have a feeling that I know who's behind it, but I don't have a name."
The boys walked back in, and Yuki noted the frown on Takigawa's face. Something had gone wrong. She brought a hand down and ran it through Bones's fur, thinking about everything that had happened during the case so far. She was almost drowned, spirits had threatened Ayami, and one of them started a fire. Overall, it was a pretty busy case. She felt like all their major cases were going to be that way. She quietly sighed before wincing when pain flared up in her throat. That was going to get annoying, and fast.
"Minnie is missing," Takigawa stated, moving Bones a bit so he could sit down as well, patting the dog on the back.
"If it comes anywhere near me, I'm kicking it," Yuki stated, gaining a few looks of surprise, "it's a fair warning."
"Don't piss off the spirits more than you already have," Takigawa said, slightly amused by her extreme pettiness towards them.
She didn't say anything in response but kept her eyes on the monitors, searching for any sign of Minnie. She was starting to follow what her feelings were telling her. Minnie was going to show up, and soon. She was so certain of that. Her eyes started to burn as her eyelids began to droop slightly. She was exhausted, that one hour nap after her near-death experience hadn't been enough. She was just thankful that someone had pulled her out. That someone being Naru, well according to Gene. She didn't know how much stock she should put into what he said, she got a distinct feeling that he was trying to set them up. Unknown to her, she fell asleep again. Takigawa went to say something to her but noticed that she was out like a light.
"She must've been more tired than she let on," Takigawa muttered as he picked up the blanket and tossed it over her, "her neck is going to kill her when she wakes up."
"She's relaxed," Masako quietly said, and he raised a brow, "you can tell by the way her shoulders are relaxed, that and she's more likely to tell small jokes such as the kicking of Minnie."
"How do you know that?" Ayako asked a frown on her face, "It's not like she really talks to anyone."
"I have my ways," Masako stated, hiding her mouth behind her sleeve effectively snubbing the other woman much to her chagrin.
Yuki burrowed deeper into the blanket, a frown appearing for a split second before vanishing. Naru brought a hand up to his chin in thought. The doll disappearing was predictable. Most spirits would do such a thing, especially if they felt threatened. He wondered what his part-timer could really do if spirits were nervous about her. Untapped potential was always interesting. Her talents seemed to be similar to Masako's though she had the ability to move things around when stressed. There was much she could do if she started experimenting with them. Yuki shifted once again in her sleep, this time elbowing Takigawa when he smirked and started to say something insulting to Ayako. It seemed that the endless "banter" got on her nerves as well. She woke up and shot them a bleary glare before pulling Bones closer and looking towards the monitors. Her manner of observation was sleepy, but he didn't doubt that she'd pick up on something that the others, baring Lin, couldn't.
Yuki looked at the satellite clock on the wall and rubbed at her eyes. It was three in the afternoon; she hadn't even realised that time had moved so quickly. She spent all that time sleepily watching the monitors, hoping that Minnie would show up. Naru was doing the same, and she noticed that he didn't look happy. No, something was bothering him. She grew slightly worried before sighing. He was the type to mentally work himself up over something trivial and not even realise it. The condition of a genius she supposed. She caught his eye, and he raised a brow, getting a frown out of her before she returned her attention to the monitors. She felt as though she was doing a horrible job at looking over Naru as per Gene's request. He made it difficult to do so. She was pulled from her thoughts when the grandfather clock in the foyer chimed.
She felt goosebumps rising on her skin and a chill went through her. The air had gotten frigid in Ayami's room. Something was in there, and she got a bad feeling about it. She felt sweat rolling down her face as she watched the soundbar for the mics beginning to go wild.
"Naru, we're picking up something on sound," She informed him.
"Turn it up," Naru ordered as he turned to Lin.
Lin pressed a key, and the room was flooded with the sound of wailing children. Yuki felt as though her heart had dropped into her stomach. Just how many children were there for the sound to be so clear? She bit the inside of her cheek and let out a shuddering breath as Bones cuddled up to her to try and calm her down. A shrill scream caused her eyes to widen, that…that had sounded like her own scream. Her head erupted into pain, and she pressed a hand against her forehead.
'It's fine Marie, it's just a dream. A dream is unable to hurt you.' A male voice said, and she closed her eyes as the pain intensified.
'Doctor, how come b*#lw0 isn't showing up anymore?' Her own voice responded, the American accent obvious and the tone different from her current one.
She could almost see this doctor, a man with pale blonde hair and a large beard wearing a checkered suit. He was pressing the button of a machine that seemed similar to the auto-suggestion machine. It was turned on and the memory was lost to her. The pain in her head stopped and she finally heard Ayami's name being called by the wailing children. She brought her hand away from her forehead and narrowed her eyes. She could think of what she learned later; Ayami's safety was far more important than memories from a past life.
"It sounds like they're calling for Ayami-Chan," Yuki commented and Takigawa listened closer to the wailing a thoughtful expression on his face.
"If John's prayer was effective, I wonder if a kekkai might be useful," Takigawa stated.
"You want to put up a barrier?" Yuki asked, knowing that kekkai's in Buddhism usually meant to restrict an area for training or religious reasons, "That could work."
"Tom…iko…"
That gurgled whisper caught Yuki's attention and she paused. Tomiko. That had been the name of the child she had seen kidnapped in her dream. She couldn't really say that for sure, but she was sure that was what had happened. A man had walked up to that child and lead her away. That dream had ended with the child in the pond and the mother throwing herself down a well.
"Naru," Yuki quietly said, getting his attention.
He could hear the woman and he gave her a shake of his head. Yuki seemed conflicted before nodding her understanding. He would do more research on the past of the land, the building itself wasn't his best bet. It didn't help that the latest information had come to him through a sleep talker. She hadn't even brought it up after waking up. She probably didn't know how to, not used to telling people anything. Ayako slammed the door open, carrying a bundle wrapped up in a cream-coloured blanket.
"Naru, Minnie came to see Ayami!" Ayako informed the teen as she handed over the bundle.
"What?" Naru asked, his surprise genuine as he opened the bundle to reveal Minnie, Yuki winced in pain as her neck burned at the sight of it.
"I noticed a lump at the end of Ayami's bed, so I flipped up the blanket and there it was," Ayako explained.
"Is Ayami, okay?" Naru asked, dropping the honorific causing Yuki to pause in surprise.
"Yes," Ayako confirmed.
Yuki quietly excused herself and left the base. She was having trouble breathing around the doll. She brought a hand up to her neck and could feel just how warm the skin was. It was odd, it shouldn't have been so warm. Bones joined her as she took a seat against the wall. Resting her head against it. Her hands went into Bones's fur, and the dog cuddled up to her. She fell back asleep, still tired. That seemed to be her natural state for the day.
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She was back again, at the time of her death. The rain quickly soaked through her clothes and plastered her hair to her face. She turned to face the person holding the gun. Her eyes widened slightly, the scenery changing to have bodies surrounding her, gunshot wounds in their torsos similar to the one that happened to her head. Her Grandfather, of all the people it could've been it was the man that had been locked up for the murder of their family. She had forgotten it had even occurred, blanking it from her mind. What five-year-old wanted to remember being witness to the murder of their family. Her mother had been the first to be taken down, her dad lived only because he had been at work, then her grandmother and someone else. She looked at one of the smaller bodies and tilted her head. Had there been someone else or was she imagining it? She brought a hand up to her head as she tried to recall, but she couldn't.
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Yuki jolted awake and winced as the back of her head hit the wall. She freed her hand from under a cover and rubbed the back of it. She was still in the hallway, no that she expected to have been moved. She just wondered why she smelt tea of all things. She looked down at the cover and saw a familiar black jacket. Naru had to drink quite a bit of tea for his jacket to smell like it. She removed it from her person and laid it over her arm before getting up from the floor. Bones let out a sound of annoyance as her pillow was taken away. The old dog got up and followed her owner as she turned to renter the base, almost running Naru over. He sent her a look, though it was slightly mitigated by how tired he looked. She felt guilty for sleeping so much.
"You slept most of the day," He groused, and she handed him his jacket.
"Thank you," She awkwardly thanked.
Bones huffed before moving into the base to rest her head on Lin's leg, much to the man's slight annoyance. Bones just wanted to show affection to someone she didn't really do so. Yuki thought it was sweet. She had trained her dog well. Naru put his jacket back on, ignoring the gratitude she gave him for borrowing it.
"Takigawa-San is going to try and perform an exorcism," Naru informed her, and she nodded her understanding, "Ayami and her family have also been sent to a hotel for safety, she was upset that you didn't say goodbye."
Yuki gained a guilty grimace, shaking that she felt bad for not saying farewell to the small girl. She quickly lost it, moving towards one important fact.
"At least she isn't in danger anymore, that's what counts," She said with a slight nod she then narrowed her eyes at him, "have you been getting any sleep? You look exhausted."
"I'm fine," He said, wanting to move away from the topic of himself for once.
"I swear, if you get sick, I'll be the one making sure you get some food and sleep," She informed him, channelling her mother.
He sighed and for a few seconds, he smiled. Yuki's ears turned a bright red at the sight, it was rare for him to give genuine smiles. She had seen them quite a few times and hoped that her luck would continue to hold out so she could see more. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she tensed for a few seconds before relaxing.
"I will be fine," He informed her, and she gave him an unsure look.
"I'll hold you to that," She said and he released her shoulder.
She headed into the base and took a seat near Lin, staring at the monitors. She was going to watch over Takigawa. She didn't trust the spirits not to pull something. She felt as though she owed the man for not saying anything about her past to her boss. At least, not doing it while she was around. Naru stood behind her and Lin turned on the mic on their side and patched them through.
"Takigawa-San, are you ready?" Naru questioned.
"Anytime!" Takigawa confirmed, giving a thumbs up.
"Keep an eye on him, Yuki," Naru said to Yuki, and she nodded.
She watched as Takigawa began to chant. Checking the temperature and watching as it steadily dropped. She frowned; it was going slow. Her frown deepened when the temperature suddenly plummeted.
"The temperature just plummeted, it's at 1.6 degrees Celsius," Yuki announced, "it's particularly bad around the bed and seems to be continuously dropping."
"How about the mic?" Naru questioned Lin as her information was typed into the log.
"The mic isn't picking anything up," Lin answered as he listened carefully on his headphones, "the tape is rolling but so far it's unusually quiet."
It was quiet for a few seconds before he brought a hand up to listen closely to what the mic was picking up. Yuki could only guess what he was hearing. Was it children wailing again or was it something else? She felt nervous as the temperature continued to drop even further. It was getting close to freezing.
"A knocking sound has started," Lin announced.
They looked towards the monitor. Yuki's eyes widened slightly, there were children in the room. They were crying, covering their ears with their hands. It was as though the chanting hurt them. She looked at the two men and wondered if they were seeing the same thing, she was. They weren't they could see misty forms, but not the apparitions that Yuki could.
"Naru…there's something in the living room," Yuki commented as she noticed more spirits in the other room.
"Lin, what's the temperature in the living room?" Naru asked.
Yuki started to think about why these children were in the living room. It almost looked as if they were standing around something near the corner. That mother…hadn't she thrown herself down a well? Was that well still there? She knew it was a possibility that the house had been built over it, it had happened before in other cases.
"Negative 2.2 degrees Celsius," Lin answered.
"Below freezing?" Naru quietly questioned before moving towards the mic to speak to Takigawa, "Takigawa-San, the room that you're in isn't where the problem is, it's the living room!"
"The living room?" Takigawa questioned.
Yuki brought up a hand and hesitated before gently tugging on Naru's sleeve. He tensed before sending her a look. She looked concerned and was staring at the living room.
"That's where a woman threw herself down a well," Yuki quietly said, not even looking at him.
She released his sleeve and placed her hand in her lap. He looked back at the monitor watching as the smoke congealed around one specific area. He looked back towards his part-timer and saw that she was clenching her hands together to stop them from trembling. His eyes narrowed in thought, she was seeing more than he had predicted. He returned his attention to the monitor as Takigawa walked into the living room, seemingly flinching at how cold it was.
"Why is it so freezing in here?" Takigawa questioned, narrowing his eyes at the smoke creeping towards him, "Don't come near me."
He brought his hands together and started his chants back up. The children screamed out in pain and backed away from the monk. Yuki shivered slightly at the sound, her throat painfully constricting. She felt as though she was going to start crying herself. She didn't like it. She hated crying. Bones let out a growl at the monitor and Yuki was ready to aid Takigawa.
"My child…where is my child…where is my precious Tomiko?" The gurgled voice asked, and Yuki stared at the monitor as her eyes widened again.
The figure of a woman was slowly rising behind Takigawa. She stood up in surprise and shock and Lin turned the sound up a bit more so they could clearly hear what was being said. Yuki winced as the wails became louder.
"Takigawa-San, behind you," Naru warned, he frowned as the monitors filled with static the image disappearing.
"I can't see anything," Takigawa stated, and Yuki hurriedly left the room.
Naru called her name before letting out a sound of annoyance. Lin would've smirked at that, but was more focused on trying to get the picture back on the monitors. He was rapidly typing, the keys clacking in succession. He frowned; something had knocked out the wires to the camera.
"You idiot, don't come in here!" Takigawa shouted as Yuki slammed the door open, staring at the woman.
The woman glared at the teen and Yuki made a face. She then ignored her and turned towards Takigawa. Time was of the essence. She needed to get him away from the woman. She needed him away from where the well was. The children surrounding it were clawing at the floorboards.
"I could say the same thing to you, you are in danger," Yuki said, the woman rushed her, and she stepped to the side ignoring the freezing air that brushed against her skin, "get back towards the door, away from the wall."
"The wall?" Takigawa asked as he did what she said, running towards the door.
A loud creak went through the room and they both looked towards the spot where the main activity was. The well, Yuki was very sure that was what was there. She bit the inside of her cheek as the woman appeared back in the living room just as the boards broke, splintered pieces of wood flew around the room and Yuki pulled Takigawa by his clothing. He was pulled into the hallway and out of the doorway as wood flew where he had just been. He was startled that she had noticed that, and that she had been able to get him out of the way.
"Did they just create a hole?" Takigawa questioned as everything calmed down.
"No…they revealed an old well," Yuki answered as she sent the hole a strange look.
Naru briskly walked towards them and sent her an angry look. Yuki flinched slightly but kept eye contact. She refused to feel guilty about helping someone. He looked away after a few seconds and she felt her shoulders relax. She hadn't realized that she had tensed up. Takigawa went back into the room and knelt to study the hole.
"This well must've existed beneath the floor, it looks old," Takigawa stated.
Masako walked up to the group. She stumbled slightly, grasping onto Yuki's arm. She brought her sleeve up to her mouth and stared at the well with sad eyes. There was sympathy there as well.
"To me, it seems as though this well goes deep into the earth," Masako softly said, "and at the very bottom are the children, they are unable to leave."
"There's a woman there as well, right?" Yuki asked, Masako looking at her in surprise, "She's looking for her child."
"Yes, she's hiding deep inside the well and is calling out for more spirits of children by pretending to be their mother, the children want to go home but they are so lost they cannot find their way out, and the woman gains new spirits by manipulating the children already trapped," Masako confirmed looking back at the well, "Minnie, who is actually Tachibana Yukiko, is the leader of the children, but in reality, Yukiko-San's spirit is in so much pain and agony that she just wants to stop this and go home."
Yuki understood that, and she felt horrible. She had almost been in a similar position herself. She clenched her free hand into a fist before relaxing slightly. She was staring at the well with a slight frown. She couldn't feel what Masako did, but somewhat understood what she was talking about.
"Who is Tomiko?" Naru asked and Yuki turned her attention towards him, seeing that he had crossed his arms across his chest.
"The woman's daughter," Yuki answered, and he narrowed his eyes at her, clearly not pleased with her.
"How did you know that?" Takigawa asked and she shrugged in response falling silently.
"I see," Naru muttered, he turned on his heel and went towards the door.
"Are you going to be back soon?" Yuki asked and he paused at the door, looking back at her.
"I'm not sure when I'll be back, please take care of things," He said, Yuki gave a nod not letting her surprise show.
John stood to the side as Naru finally left. The blonde entered the room and looked at the well and he raised his brows in thought. Bones quickly padded in, bumping against the priests' legs as her tail wagged. She wasn't wearing her vest and wasn't on duty. Yuki let out a sigh and Ayako looked at her.
"Well, that's what I expecting him to do," Yuki stated before scratching the back of her head in thought, "is it your turn to try and do an exorcism, Matsuzaki-San?"
"I'll do it, you just have to sit with me," Ayako stated.
"That's fair, I wouldn't want anyone left alone in this room while there a gaping hole in the floor," Yuki said, sending everyone a look.
Takigawa gave a slight smirk at that. Yuki was more open with her worry about them than Naru was. The albino turned towards the medium and noticed her thoughtful expression. There was something that was bothering her.
"You feeling okay?" Yuki asked as she gently touched Masako's shoulder.
"I just hope these children pass over and aren't destroyed by an exorcism," Masako answered.
"Agreed, but I can't believe that a mother would do this to children," Yuki quietly said looking back at the well with a frown, "it's horrible."
"How did you know about the well?" Takigawa asked the teen and Yuki shuffled slightly not wanting to really talk about it.
"Woman's intuition," Yuki stated as John scratched Bones behind the ears.
John was a dog person more so than Yuki. She found it a little humorous that she could test a priest about things and that he'd respond on time. He was a legitimately nice man, and she knew that was just how he was. She left the room to go see if Lin had gotten the monitors working again. He was sat in front of them, his arms across his chest.
"So, what happened?" Yuki quietly asked.
"The wires were unplugged, I'll get this up and running," Lin informed her, and she nodded.
He looked back at her and noticed that she seemed unsure about what to do. There also looked like something was bothering her. He wasn't going to push her to talk, she would just stay silent. There was no need to talk further when they had work to do.
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Ayako spared the teen a glance as they sat in seiza. Yuki was looking at the dog that refused to leave her side, her ears were pressed against her skull and her tail between her legs. The teen brought a hand up and gave the dog a gentle pat on the side to try and relax her. She brought her hand back down and placed it in her lap. The cold air was surrounding them as Ayako took in a deep breath before praying. Bangs echoed around them, and Ayako was pulled from her prayers.
"Matsuzaki-San please, keep going," Yuki said, suddenly growing nervous as she started to get a bad feeling.
"I know," Ayako said with a frown before she shrieked when something pulled her arm, "I just felt something!"
"I know, you need to stay calm," Yuki stated as she sent the woman a look she hoped was calming, "you can do this."
Ayako didn't know why the teen had confidence in her. Of all people, she'd expect her to be more like Takigawa and saying that she didn't believe in her. It made her fond of the girl. She seemed to tilt her head to the side as though hearing something.
"You should never have crossed me, now you'll pay," The woman's gurgling voice whispered in
Yuki didn't have long to think about those words as Bones was yanked towards the well. The dog let out a series of whining yelps before disappearing into the depth. Yuki nearly jumped to her feet to go check on her dog, but arms wrapped around her and held her in place. Ayako held back the teen who started to thrash in her grasp as she panicked.
"BONES!" Yuki shrieked and Ayako was surprised at the distress the teen was showing before tightening her hold on her Yuki turned towards her and she noted the tears welling up in the girl's eyes, "I have to go to her."
Ayako was tempted to let her go due to the sheer terror and pleading in her voice. She did and Yuki moved towards the well and peered in. Bones was still alive, but whining in pain. Lin came in with something in his hands and Yuki noted that it was a rope. She was having trouble thinking straight. Her focus was on Bones. He held onto the rope as she went down and retrieved her dog. She fought back the need to cry as she gathered her hurt dog into her arms. She didn't care if her dress was becoming soaked in blood, she needed to hold her dog.
Lin was waiting for her to come back up, and let out a curse when a vase broke a few feet away from the group. She was taking too long. He handed the rope to Takigawa as he went down to see what she was doing. He felt sympathy for her when he saw that she was curled around her dog. Her face buried into her fur trying to stop herself from crying. She was muttering apologies in French. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him, not even picking her head up from the fur. He manoeuvred her to stand, and she kept a hold on her dog. It didn't take long to get out of the well, and he didn't say anything as John led the teen outside to have some time with her dog.
"I don't think she's going to say anything for a while," Ayako quietly commented, and Masako nodded her agreement.
"Bones was the last link she had to her mother," Masako said, and they all turned towards her, "it's going to be hard for her."
John stayed close as Yuki held her dog even closer. Bones was fading fast, and she wanted to make sure her dog knew that she was loved. Tears slowly fell down her face and into the still warm fur. Bones let out a quiet whine and moved to lick her owner. That made things worse, and Yuki let out a sniff as Bones started to slowly stop moving.
"I love you Bones," She mumbled into the fur, the only sign that Bones had heard her was the wagging of her tail.
All movement stopped and Yuki knew then that Bones had passed. John didn't know what he could say to the teen who was crying. Ayako and Masako walked out of the home and John was thankful for their appearance, he was able to get the body of Bones out of Yuki's grasp as the two girls brought her back inside. Ayako didn't say anything as she silently cried. She was covered in blood, and Ayako knew that she needed to change out of her stained clothing.
"Do you still have some clean clothes?" Ayako asked and Yuki gave a mute nod.
They went into her room and soon they had her changed out of the stained clothing and into a pair of jeans and a purple long-sleeved shirt. Ayako was a bit confused by the colour knowing that she tended to stick to dark blues and orange hues. She was helping to clean the girls face. Nothing was really said, and they had her sit in the base. No one was going to mess with her, they would just allow her to work through things on her own. Takigawa looked at the kid and noted that her expression was like it had been when she was a child. He left again to help John with Bones, no one was going to force her to stare at the body. They knew how to cremate things, John due to having worked in several crematoriums to bless the body being burned.
That was what Naru came back to. John and Takigawa burning something in the backyard, it smelt familiar, but he couldn't really place it. He walked into the base and noted how quiet it was. He spared a glance towards his part-timer and noted that she was just staring straight ahead at a wall. Her expression was blank, but the whites of her eyes were red indicating that she'd been crying. What had happened while he was gone.
"Lin, what happened while I was gone?" Naru asked and Lin turned to face him.
"Matsuzaki-San and Yuki were in the living room, Matsuzaki-San was performing an exorcism," Lin answered seeing the flash of concern that Naru had, "Bones was dragged down into the well, she didn't make it."
Yuki flinched slightly but didn't stop staring at the wall. Naru froze upon hearing that, and he knew then what was going on in the yard. He hesitated before gently placing a hand on Yuki's shoulder. She was tense and still upset. He didn't blame her if she wanted to quit but knew that she was too stubborn to do so. Ayako entered the room and she sent him a look. He stepped away from Yuki and the teen was still ignoring the world around her.
"That explains Takigawa and John," Naru muttered before turning to Lin and continuing in that quiet tone, "I plan on using a hitogata to trick the woman into passing on."
"Should we send Yuki out of the house while this happens?" Lin asked, understanding what Naru was wanting to do.
"I'll stay," Yuki's voice reached them, and they noticed that she was staring at them, her eyes narrowed dangerously as though daring them to try and send her away.
Naru inwardly smirked, he knew that she'd want to stay. Yuki wanted to see the case to the end, even though she was still grieving there was a job to do. She knew that she'd be going home to a lonely apartment, but she was her mother's daughter and she'd keep going on. She'd just bawl her eyes out when no one was around. A frustrated Takigawa and John entered the base and Naru raised a brow. They had been talking about something that had bothered them. Takigawa was of the mind to see about getting Yuki a new dog to make sure she wouldn't be alone in her apartment, but John believed that she'd see that as replacing a family member. Both had valid points.
"What's the plan, Naru?" Takigawa asked.
"I plan to disperse the spirits," Naru answered, leaving out the hitogata.
"Who's going to do the exorcising?" Yuki asked, pushing aside her grief.
She stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. He was planning on exorcising the spirits. She doubted that he was going to use his face for it, but was somewhat hoping he would. Ayako would get a kick out of it, and it might help to cheer her up and distract her further. Naru smirked.
"I wish you luck then," She muttered shrugging slightly.
"I want you and Matsuzaki to place charms on the walls," Naru said, and Ayako sighed grabbing the back of Yuki's shirt and dragging her behind her briskly entering the hallway.
"I can walk, Matsuzaki-San," Yuki's voice said and Naru shook his head at that.
He moved to supervise their work. Ayako slapped a handful of charms into Yuki's hand and soon they were sticking them on every wall. They went into the living room, Yuki sending the well an angry look before returning to pasting charms everywhere. He frowned slightly but ignored the anger Yuki had just shown and turned his attention towards Lin as the hitogata was placed in his hand. He had everything he needed just in case.
"We finished," Yuki informed him as Masako walked up to her and held onto her arm.
Masako was fond of the white-haired teen. There was a good reason as to why she knew so much about the teen in question. She looked to the side where a woman with hair like her daughters stood there with a thoughtful expression on her face. Yoshida Miyuki was her guide and had kept her company for years. She always made sure that nothing too bad would happen to the young medium, though she never answered Masako's questions as to why she wasn't her daughter's spirit guide. It was as though someone else had taken that spot. She got a gentle shoulder pat from Yuki, and she looked down at the floor.
John entered the living room and the two girls moved away from the well. Yuki refused to have anyone else be dragged into it. She felt sweat gather on her brow before slowly trailing down her face. She felt oddly nervous, as though something was going to happen, but she could figure out if it was good or bad. John began his prayers and she listened to the English, finding it oddly comforting.
"There are two ways to exorcise a spirit," Masako found herself telling Yuki and the girl turned her attention towards her, "Jorei and Jourei, Jourei means to talk to the spirit and help them through the issues they may have from a past life, but that's only something a psychic medium can do."
"Naru's not a medium," Yuki muttered, "So that means…Jorei, I may be livid at this woman, but I wouldn't wish death on anyone."
Masako blinked before gaining the slightest of smiles. It was surprising when the "sweet child" that her mother spoke of showed herself. Her expression was one of worry as she turned her attention towards John. Masako flinched when the sounds of children wailing started up again.
"Hara-San, how is it going?" Naru asked as he walked up to the two girls, seemingly keeping an eye on the spirits that were swirling around them.
"They're confused, they don't know what to do," Masako answered, holding her sleeve to her mouth in horror, "their numbers seem to be fewer; they're fleeing from the living room."
Yuki turned her attention towards the gaping hole in the floor, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her head tilted downwards, and a serious expression appeared on her face. She felt something strange from the well, something she could only describe as painful longing and grief. If that was how the woman had been feeling, no wonder she had thrown herself down the well.
"Here she comes," Yuki quietly said, and Masako spared her a glance.
Yuki's abilities were stronger than she had originally thought if she was able to sense the spirit. Then again, it might simply be because they seemed to have become enemies. It wasn't the strangest thing that Masako had seen happen between the dead and living. A hand appeared out of the hole and then another joined it. A woman with black hair pulled herself out of the well, waters flowing from her as she looked around with hate-filled eyes. Masako knew then that she needed to work quickly if she didn't want the woman to die.
"Tomiko is not here, no matter how hard you look she's not here," Masako informed the spirit, causing her eyes to be turned towards them Yuki putting an arm up to block Masako slightly, "those other children are not Tomiko so please set them free, they all want to return to their own mothers so please!"
The woman wasn't listening to her, and the hands of children began to appear from the well. Masako brought a hand up to the arm in front of her and noted that Yuki was matching the spirits glare with the same intensity. She tightened her grip in slight worry. John moved in front of them, and the woman glared at him, he was sent flying.
"John!" Masako called, her eyes wide in surprise.
"Naru, whatever you have planned you really need to start it," Yuki informed the black cladded teen, he sent her a look before nodding.
Masako looked at Yuki in surprise and was it increased when she got a small smile from the other girl. She seemed to have figured something out. Yuki hadn't really picked up on what Naru said he had wanted to do, but she felt as though she had figured it out. He wasn't planning on performing Jorei.
"He isn't planning Jorei, at first I thought that he would as well," Yuki said before turning her attention towards the woman, "but I realized that he would've done it by now. He has something else planned."
Naru slowly walked up to the woman, and she fixed her glare on him. He was unbothered by it, fixing her with a cold look of his own. It was honestly impressive.
"Your daughter is right here," Naru said, holding up a wooden hitogata, "take the children you've gathered and go home."
He tossed the hitogata into the air and it slowly started to glow gold as the figure of a small child appeared. Yuki gave a soft smile as the familiar figure of Tomiko was revealed. The woman caught the child and glowed a similar colour as she held her daughter close, tears rolling down her face. The children started to happily laugh. A little girl with a bob of brown hair gave Yuki an apologetic look, getting a small smile in return. She didn't blame the little girl for anything, she had been an unwilling victim. Masako gave a happy smile as the spirits turned to orbs before vanishing.
"They've disappeared, they all went home," Masako announced.
Yuki gave Naru a look of respect before standing up from the ground, turning around and helping Masako up. She returned to base and helped Lin with cleaning up the equipment. Naru was taking that time to explain to everyone else what his plan had been. Clean-up went quick with two people and Lin noted that she was keeping herself busy to stop thinking about what she had lost. That was a worrying type of grief, one that relied on ignoring it till it got to be too much. She headed inside and repacked her suitcase stalling as she placed Bones old collar inside it. She looked down at her charm bracelet and saw the small dog charm waving from side to side. She brought a hand up to her eyes and closed them slightly. She took a deep breath and calmed down; it didn't do to get lost in her grief. They needed to head back to Tokyo and she refused to sit in a car with two men after obviously crying. It was already awkward enough with how quiet they were. She looked towards the little glass bead that had an A on it. That had been a gift from Ayami. She slowly worked it onto the bracelet and soon it was happily dangling next to the dog charm. She brought her suitcase to the van and placed it in the back alongside Lin and Naru's. Her luggage blended in with Naru's both sporting black suitcases, though hers had small, embroidered snowflakes on it.
"Yuki-Nee-Chan!" A voice shouted out and Yuki turned around to see Ayami sprinting towards her.
She caught the girl and hugged her while spinning around. She placed the girl down before kneeling to bee eye level, something that Ayami appreciated. Yuki hadn't expected to see Ayami ever again but was happy with the turn of events.
"Hello, Ayami-Chan," Yuki greeted, "how are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, Nee-Chan!" Ayami happily answered before tilting her head to the side, "Will you come and visit me again?"
"I would be happy to come and visit," Yuki softly said, and Ayami held up her pinky finger.
"Promise?" Ayami asked.
"Promise," Yuki confirmed as she wrapped her pinky around the eight-year-olds.
Naru came out of the building, quietly talking to Kana and Ayami hurried back to Noriko's side. Yuki stood up straight and gave the older woman a polite nod, getting an apologetic smile in response. Yuki got into the van and took her spot in the middle; Lin was already waiting in the driver's seat and glanced at her before looking away. She had made the right choice. She hated it when people gave her looks of pity or found her process of grieving strange. Sometimes she just wanted people to mind their own business. Naru finally got into the van, and they headed back to the city. She was mentally preparing herself for an empty home, she didn't know how she'd manage but she would.
oooooooooO0Oooooooooo
I know some of you wanted Bones to live, but realistically an older dog would have trouble moving past a harsh drop into a deep well. She was also never supposed to go past the first case, and I enjoy her character. So, I'm sorry if I made y'all sad but it was necessary.